Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $152.34 Million Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 18.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 425,745 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 97,344 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.71% of Woodward worth $152,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Woodward by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $603,663,000 after purchasing an additional 80,538 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its position in Woodward by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $322,060,000 after buying an additional 334,333 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Woodward by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $297,014,000 after buying an additional 76,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Woodward by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $224,391,000 after acquiring an additional 18,821 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WWD shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $395.50.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $419.00 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.31 and a 52-week high of $450.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $392.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $375.37. The stock has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a PE ratio of 50.18, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 15.33%.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc (NASDAQ: WWD) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. Founded in 1870 and headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, the company specializes in motion control, fuel systems, actuation, and digital control solutions. Its offerings enable precision management of flow, pressure and motion in critical applications ranging from aircraft engines and power turbines to hydraulic systems.

Woodward’s product portfolio is organized into two primary segments: Aerospace and Industrial.